Re: [Paddlewise] Skills

Setting a bad example is a consideration to be mindful about, whether real 
or imagined, witnessed or not. It is one issue I've never been able to 
quantify or qualify completely. Having done my best more recently to avoid 
playing in an arena where there's lots of public visibility, I strive seek 
more remote areas to venture.

In the end, I've had to make a decision to adjudge and assess a potential 
paddle outing based not only on hard facts, but including intuition and gut 
feeling generally - and rather than concerns over public perception once I 
account for the variables, notwithstanding keeping a lower profile when I 
can. I still feel safer kayaking in gnarly sea conditions with rain than I 
do white water kayaking on swollen rivers - something paddlers do often and 
pay the ultimate sacrifice for their love of the sport.

Heavy rain combined with possible low visibility in gale-force weather is 
one of the mixtae I try to avoid in my continuae of paddling challenges. 
I've had to deal with those exact combined conditions on the open sea during 
trips where I wasn't purposely pursuing said conditions. I certainly don't 
like to pursue the experience in a widespread way. I also try to avoid 
paddling in extreme artic-outflow winds. We all can answer Peter T's 
question about what is a fair risk for us individually. Absolutely. Being a 
bad example, per se, is somewhat more subjective no matter what your 
experience level. That's my take on it anyway.

Doug L

> It's  kind of funny that you ask how I can comprehend my own mortality, if
> that  is indeed what you were wondering. For better or worse, that's 
> perhaps
> my  point, especially being a mostly solo paddler: I've had to comprehend 
> my
> own mortality many times over during the years of paddling. I seriously
> started doing that after that first classroom session.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>> It is late Saturday AM here in the Northwest. I am at my keyboard instead 
>> of
>> pulling the boats off the car at the Columbia River bar where my mates 
>> are.
>> We left the house at a quarter to 6 and listened to NOAA's forecast for 
>> gales
>> and 2-3 inches of rain. At 6AM this morning I took the first exit and 
>> went
>> home,  instead. I've paddled in gales before. I've paddled in heavy rain 
>> before.
>> I've  driven through them to get to the put in before. Something told me
>> today was a  bad idea to combine these activities. Perhaps mortality was 
>> not in so
>> much  consideration, but the setting of a bad example was.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Rob G
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